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The Ecosystem

HomeWhat is Longleaf?The EcosystemHabitats

Habitats

Longleaf pine forests covered an extensive geographical range. Perhaps what is taken for granted is how diverse this forest type was (and is) across the landscape.

Seeing longleaf pine forests today, many people often (erroneously) assume that the species is relegated to dry sandy ridges or steep south-facing slopes. On the contrary, areas too steep, too dry to farm or too poor to grow loblolly or slash pine are, for the most part, merely a vestige of the richness that once was the longleaf pine ecosystem.

For thousands of years, subtle differences in soils and topography influenced fire behavior, site productivity etc. This affected the composition of the forest, e.g., groundcover plants, insect and animal species, and tree height, to name a few.

These habitat types can generically be lumped into four groups: montane, sandhill, rolling hill, and flatwoods/savannas. Follow the links below to learn more about these remarkable habitats of the longleaf pine ecosystem.

Montane  |  Sandhills  |  Rolling Hills  |  Flatwoods/Savannas

Montane

Berry College - montane old growth 2

Montane longleaf pine was found dominating the southern and southwestern slopes (though not confined to them) and ridgelines up to about 2000 ft. elevation in north Alabama and northwest Georgia. This habitat also includes an isolated ridge starting at Pine Mountain, GA and extending to Thomson, GA. Since much of longleaf pine's northern boundary is found in this habitat type, the forest is seen to subtly grade from a pure longleaf pine overstory to an overstory of mixed southern pines at its fringes. About 20 % of the pre-settlement longleaf pine ecosystem was covered by this habitat type.

Soils

The soils in which montane longleaf grow are well drained with beds of flinty pebbles, sandstone ridges and even rock outcrops. In particular, they grow on rocky ridges and slopes that contains sandstone, quartzite, phyllite, mica schist and gneiss.

Common Plants

Broomstraws, bluestems, goat's rue, bracken ferns, rushes, sedges, and sensitive briar

Common Trees and Shrubs

Scarlet oak, mountain blueberry, mountain laurel, American chestnut, blackjack oak, Virginia pine, shortleaf pine, pig nut hickory, mockernut hickory, rock chestnut oak, and southern red oak

Fire Frequency

One to five years; fire either crept down ridgelines or roared up steep slopes

Without Fire

Quickly turns into a hardwood/mixed pine forest (especially Virginia and shortleaf pines)

Sandhills

Walthour Moss Sandhills

The Sandhills are characterized as ridges of loose, porous sand that begin in southern Virginia and runs through west Georgia at about 500 to 600 feet above sea level. Isolated sand ridges also exist in the Florida panhandle and peninsula. Longleaf pine sandhills are characterized as a forest of widely spaced pine trees with a fire-stunted understory of deciduous (scrub) oaks and a sparse to continuous ground cover of bunchgrasses and herbs. Today, sandhill longleaf sites make up some of the largest acreages of the remaining longleaf pine habitat (despite comprising roughly 10% of the original landscape).

Soils

Sandhill soils are droughty, deep beds of white sands that are relatively low in fertility and result (often) in lower species diversity and usually shorter longleaf pine. In some areas sands can be 2-15 feet deep. In some areas of the Carolinas, sands can be 100 - 150 feet deep without changing.

Common Plants

Pricky pear cactus, wiregrass, bluestems, hairsedge, piney woods dropseed, gopher apple, golden aster, hairawn muhly, pineland phlox, sandhill lupine, bird's foot violet, dwarf iris, fringed bluestar, pinebarren frostweed, pineland wild indigo, man-root (morning glory), sandhill roseling, orange-fringed orchids, yellow-eyed grasses, narrowleaf sabatia, threadleaf gererdia, goat's rue, butterfly pea, and Carolina indigo

Common Trees and Shrubs

Turkey oak, bluejack oak, southern red oak, blackjack oak, sand post oak, myrtle oak, Arkansas oak, mockernut hickory, sand hickory, black cherry, sassafras, blackberry, sparkleberry, persimmon, low-bush blueberry, and pawpaw

Fire Frequency

Two to seven years carried almost exclusively by bunch grasses

Without Fire

Usually succeeds to canopy-dominated by scrub oaks (like turkey oak)

Rolling Hills

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Characterized as having a sufficiently rolling habitat to insure good drainage. Often very productive sites capable of producing excellent longleaf pine timber. Found at 130 to 250 feet above sea level. It is speculated that 30% of the pre-settlement landscape was rolling hill habitat.

Soils

Brown, sandy loam uplands 10 - 15 inches in depth, often with fossiliferous materials. In some areas, the underlying parent material is limestone. Occasionally, limestone pushes through the sandy loam and forms outcroppings.

Common Plants

Beargrass, bluestems, wiregrass, rattlebox, dollar pea, lespedeza, candyroot, procession flower, orange milkwort, pinebarren, and goldenrod

Common Trees and Shrubs

Blackjack oak, turkey oak, willow oak, sand post oak, southern red oak, Florida dogwood, mockernut hickory, black hickory, persimmon, gallberry, yaupon, and wax myrtle

Fire Frequency

One to three years; numerous native bunchgrasses to help carry fire

Without Fire

Hardwoods (often willow oak or sweet gum) capture the forest midstory and overstory shading out ground cover plants

Flatwoods and Savannas

20190126_111421

Characterized as high-density, longleaf pine-dominated forests, the surface is very level, poorly drained and often interspersed with frequent and (sometimes large) swampy patches or wet prairies. Flatwoods can start just above the tidewater and extend inland to about 130 feet above sea level. Productivity is high and longleaf pines reach heights above 120 feet. This longleaf pine habitat type has the highest diversity of ground cover of herbs and shrubs. Since the soils are relatively poorly drained and typically have low reserves of available nutrients, numerous orchids and carnivorous plants are common in the ground cover. These habitats are often described as both the Atlantic Coastal Flatwoods and the Gulf Coastal Flatwoods.

Soils

With moderately to poorly drained terrain, the soils are typically acidic, have low reserves of available nutrients, are low in organic matter content, and maintain an ash-colored silty clay appearance.

Common Plants

Tarflower, wiregrass, toothache grass, bluestems, silk grass, hatpins, muhly grass, pineweeds, pitcher plants, sundews, flytraps, Catesby's lily, white star grass, morning glory, milkweeds, quail pea, butterfly pea, goat's rue, lespedezas, iron weed, and deer tongue

Common Trees and Shrubs

Water oak, sweet gum, red maple, ash, saw palmetto, gallberry, fetterbush, wax myrtle, yaupon, ilex, dwarf live oak, sweet bay, titi, southern magnolia, persimmon, black gum, creeping blueberry, blackberry.

BROWSE THIS SECTION

  • The Tree
    • Life Stages
    • The Economics
    • The History
    • The Misconceptions
  • The Ecosystem
    • Built by Fire
    • Habitats
    • Species Diversity
  • Restoration & Management
    • Groundcover Restoration
    • Herbicides
    • Longleaf Regeneration
    • Prescribed Fire
  • Photo Gallery

From our feed

Unlike some other southern yellow pine species, lo Unlike some other southern yellow pine species, longleaf pine cone production is variable with infrequent good crops. The process is influenced by many environmental factors over the course of the cones' two-year development, with large differences observed from year to year and also from place to place.Having an idea of upcoming cone crops helps longleaf growers plan for nursery seedling production and informs land managers' upcoming activities to promote natural regeneration, like prescribed burning or selective harvesting. Luckily the United States Forest Service and collaborators monitor longleaf pine cone production at 11 locations throughout the Southeast each year. For 2022, the regional longleaf cone crop, based on green cone counts this past spring, is FAIR with an average of 41 cones per tree. That might not sound super promising, but it's the highest estimate since 2017!Check out the full report (including instructions on estimating cones on your own property) at longleafalliance.org > news (link in bio)📷 @jessicawilliamsphotography
Did you know many incentives are available to enco Did you know many incentives are available to encourage private landowners to plant, grow and manage healthy woodlands particularly longleaf pines? Programs may provide financial assistance for a portion of the expenses of management practices such as planting, thinning, and prescribed burning. 🌲🔥Join The Longleaf Alliance for a one-hour virtual webinar on July 12th to find out about current incentive programs for longleaf specific to your management objectives and location!Thank you to our speakers Ryan Phillips (@gatrees), Daniel Westcot (USDA-NRCS), Jason Alstad (@gaconservancy), and Susan French (TLA)! This FREE virtual event is hosted by the Okefenokee-Osceola Local Implementation Team with sponsorship by The Nature Conservancy. REGISTER NOW > longleafalliance.org > upcoming events (link in bio)
Today for National #WildlandFirefighterDay, we wan Today for National #WildlandFirefighterDay, we want to thank the thousands of local, state, federal, or contract workers who fulfill a role in wildland fire and their friends and families who make it possible for these folks to work long hours, far from home.Because of the job description “firefighter” one might assume these folks are dedicated to wildfire suppression only, but in fact, wildland fire encompasses both #PRESCRIBEDfire and wildfire. #WildlandFire is an overarching term for any non-structure fire that occurs in natural fuels so fire practitioners in the field have duties relating to prescribed burning, wildfire response, AND fire preparedness. The terminology, communication, and command structure is the same whether actively starting or suppressing fire in natural landscapes.In the Southeast, our fire practitioners are integral to keeping our forests and natural communities healthy.📷 TLA’s amazing staff in the Gulf Coastal Plain Ecosystem Partnership whose hard work supports implementation of prescribed fire and habitat restoration. In the last fiscal year (2020-21), the EST, WEST, and AMBBIS teams burned over 90,000 acres with #GCPEP partners. #ThankAFirefighter #longleaf #longleafpine #longleafpines #goodfire #rxfire #restorelongleaf
July 1st should be in your longleaf management cal July 1st should be in your longleaf management calendar. Why? Because TODAY is the day that several state-operated nurseries begin accepting seedling orders. Longleaf seedlings are in high-demand and many growers sell out quickly. Ordering early, even if you are waiting to hear back about a cost-share application, is your best chance to guarantee seedlings.Check out these state forestry nurseries which are accepting orders as of today:👉 Georgia Forestry Commission - Flint River Nursery - BAREROOT longleaf seedlings > https://gatrees.org/forest-management-conservation/tree-seedlings👉 North Carolina Forest Service - Claridge Nursery - CONTAINER longleaf seedlings > http://www.buynctrees.com/Find a list of our partnering nurseries at longleafalliance.org/what-we-do/restoration-through-partnerships/nurseries/📷 Longleaf pine germinants in container trays for nursery production. Photo courtesy of PRT in Atmore, Alabama. #longleaf  #longleafpine #longleafpines
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